Ask HN: What tech knowledge to back up?

4 points by hacknewslogin 1 year ago | 6 comments

Everything going on in the US right now is really concerning, including a theory that the US will implement a "great firewall" similar to what's used by countries like China and Russia.

Information on how to use tech considered subversive may be hard to access in the future. Guides like how to get around firewalls, or how to access and use specific software or information hubs might be altered or restricted.

What tech knowledge do you think should be stored offline? What knowledge is likely to be restricted in the future?

bnchrch 1 year ago |

Whats interesting about this case is the answer this year is both different than years prior and a reason why the great firewall cannot exist (knowledge wise).

And the answer is, download an open source llm model.

It will have most answers to nearly any question you want to ask.

Also its the reason why the US cant implement a great firewall that impacts knowledge sharing, because to do so effectively would mean preventing the download of these models and hamper the US in the ongoing AI race.

bnchrch 1 year ago | |

Now that doesnt mean they can impact social media networks.

But you can't download those for offline use anyway so it's a bit moot.

mystickphoenix 1 year ago |

Not trying to hijack, but in addition, I'd love to know how we can fight back beyond just archiving data. HN tends to lean heavily into tech skills. How can we leverage those skills collectively or individually to prevent needing to archive this data in the first place?

al_borland 1 year ago |

This is the first mention I’ve heard of a great firewall in the US. Have I been living under a rock?

Rotundo 1 year ago |

If the internet gets too restricted, there is always dial-up and FidoNet.

hacknewslogin 1 year ago | |

How many computers nowadays can connect to a phone line?